For Release: Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Dallas Market Center to Co-Sponsor Fashion Award at 2017 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
Jerry Ann Taylor Award Honors Best Dressed Competitors in WPRA Barrel Racing
DALLAS – October 24, 2017 – Dallas Market Center, a leading wholesale marketplace for western lifestyle products including apparel and accessories, gifts, and home décor, has announced that it will co-sponsor the 2017 Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award presented to the best dressed Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Barrel Racer at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 7-16 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Jerry Ann Taylor Award, established by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2012, is presented to the best dressed barrel racers in the WPRA. It honors the legacy and the personal style of legendary trick rider Jerry Ann Taylor, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1986 and passed away in 2012. In partnership with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, the award is sponsored by the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum and co-sponsored by Dallas Market Center. Awards for first place, second place, and third place are presented to the Wrangler NFR Barrel Racers who embody Jerry Ann Taylor’s famous sense of style and who receive the most votes from the judges and online fan voting during the Wrangler NFR. Previous Jerry Ann Taylor Award winners include World Champions Mary Walker, Fallon Taylor, and four-time NFR qualifier Michele McLeod.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneer spirit in their trailblazing efforts.
“The goal since the Jerry Ann Taylor Award began 5 years ago was to encourage a sense of fun, style and glamour in how our top WPRA ladies dress while competing at the Wrangler NFR and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo,” said Doreen Wintermute, WPRA president. “We are well on our way to achieving that goal and we are very excited to bring Dallas Market Center on board to join the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.”
Fans are encouraged to vote for their choice following each round of the National Finals Rodeo by visiting www.wpra.com.
“As the wholesale marketplace for a growing number of western lifestyle products from leading manufacturers, we are pleased to offer our enthusiastic support for this award and for the ladies working so hard to compete and to continue the important legacy of barrel racing,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center.
Dallas Market Center is located in the strongest economic zone in the U.S., and its marketplace serves loyal retail buyers and interior designers from across the U.S. and internationally who seek a wide range of products from leading manufacturers and emerging companies. Showrooms from western lifestyle manufacturers are a growing portion of the marketplace and include leading companies in western apparel, accessories, gifts, and home décor.
To make plans for upcoming markets, including the January Total Home & Gift Market (January 17-23, 2018), Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market (January 24-27, 2018), and Dallas Western Market (March 21-24, 2018), visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center app. Keep up-to-date on all information by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and the DMC Daily Dose.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in home décor, furniture, gifts, lighting and fashion. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus near downtown Dallas, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products via open-daily showrooms and from exhibitors participating in trade events held throughout the year. The Dallas Market Center website is available at dallasmarketcenter.com.
About Women’s Professional Rodeo Association
The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is the oldest women’s sports organization in the country. The Association started in 1948 with a group of Texas ranch women who wanted to add a little color and femininity to the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo. A major move at the time, 38 women met in a hotel in San Angelo, Texas, on February 28, 1948, to change the way they were being treated in the male-dominated world of rodeo. These women banded together to create the very first professional sports association created solely for women by women – the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA). The GRA began with 74 original members with 60 approved contests with a total payout of $29,000. In 1981, the GRA changed its name to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). Today, it is a computerized association with more than 3,000 members, over 1,200 events and payouts totaling over $4.8 million. The WPRA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., provides opportunities for women across the United States and Canada to compete in the timed events of barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, and tie-down roping. For more information on the WPRA and a list of events visit www.wpra.com.
About the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Established in 1975, the Cowgirl is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the American West. Fostering an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance these women inspire, the Cowgirl is the legacy of legends. The museum is considered an invaluable national educational resource for its exhibits, research library, rare photograph collection and dynamic educational programs for grades K-12 and adults. The museum is located at 1720 Gendy St., Fort Worth, Texas 76107; for information, call 817.336.4475.
For more information about the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, visit www.cowgirl.net
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Contact: Lina Betts, 817.509.8969; LBetts@cowgirl.net